Electrically conducting polymers have been used in a variety of organic electronic devices, including in the development of electroluminescent (EL) devices for use in light emissive displays. With respect to EL devices, such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) containing conducting polymers, such devices generally have the following configuration:anode/buffer layer/EL polymer/cathodeThe anode is typically any material that has the ability to inject holes into the otherwise filled π-band of the semiconducting, EL polymer, such as, for example, indium/tin oxide (ITO). The anode is optionally supported on a glass or plastic substrate. The EL polymer is typically a conjugated semiconducting polymer such as poly(paraphenylenevinylene) or polyfluorene. The cathode is typically any material (such as, e.g., Ca or Ba) that has the ability to inject electrons into the otherwise empty π*-band of the semiconducting, EL polymer.
The buffer layer is typically a conducting polymer and facilitates the injection of holes from the anode into the EL polymer layer. The buffer layer can also be called a hole-injection layer, a hole transport layer, or may be characterized as part of a bilayer anode. Typical conducting polymers employed as buffer layers include polyaniline and polydioxythiophenes such as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDT). These materials can be prepared by polymerizing aniline or dioxythiophene monomers in aqueous solution in the presence of a water soluble polymeric acid, such as poly(styrenesulfonic acid) (PSS), as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,575 entitled “Polythiophene dispersions, their production and their use.” A well known PEDT/PSS material is Baytron®-P, commercially available from H. C. Starck, GmbH (Leverkusen, Germany).
The aqueous electrically conductive polymer dispersions synthesized with water soluble polymeric sulfonic acids have undesirable low pH levels. The low pH can contribute to decreased stress life of an EL device containing such a buffer layer, and contribute to corrosion within the device. Accordingly, there is a need for compositions and buffer layers prepared therefrom having improved properties.
Electrically conducting polymers also have utility as electrodes for electronic devices, such as thin film field effect transistors. In such transistors, an organic semiconducting film is present between source and drain electrodes. To be useful for the electrode application, the conducting polymers and the liquids for dispersing or dissolving the conducting polymers have to be compatible with the semiconducting polymers and the solvents for the semiconducting polymers to avoid re-dissolution of either conducting polymers or semiconducting polymers. The electrical conductivity of the electrodes fabricated from the conducting polymers should be greater than 10 S/cm (where S is a reciprocal ohm). However, the electrically conducting polythiophenes made with a polymeric acid typically provide conductivity in the range of ˜10−3 S/cm or lower. In order to enhance conductivity, conductive additives may be added to the polymer. However, the presence of such additives can deleteriously affect the processability of the electrically conducting polythiophene. Accordingly, there is a need for improved conductive polythiophenes with good processability and increased conductivity.